Who will lead the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday? We’ve got one team led by Sam Wilson/Captain America, and another presumably led by Yelena Belova. But someone’s gotta lead both teams together in their battle against Doctor Doom. And according to The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman, the person taking charge of the Avengers will be none other than Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic. Here’s what Shakman told Variety during an interview:
He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, to the guy who’s leading the Avengers.
The leader of the Fantastic Four leading the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Actually, there is a Marvel Comics precedent for this in canon. In the late ’80s, many members left the Avengers, after a period of upheaval. So in 1988’s Avengers #300, Steve Rogers put together a new team, with himself, Thor, Gilgamesh (who you may remember from Ethernals), and Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman. At the time, Reed Richards and Susan Storm had left the FF to focus on being parents to their child Franklin. But they quickly un-retired at the behest of Captain America. Although Cap was technically the field leader, it was clear that Reed was the brains of the operation.
However, this Avengers roster was short-lived. And when we say “short-lived,” we mean it lasted a mere four issues. By the end of Avengers #303, Reed and Sue left the Avengers to return to the Fantastic Four. Although they did remain reservists, helping out during big catastrophes. Still, if the MCU version of Reed Richards leads the team, one can’t say that it’s not comics-accurate. Besides, if the main villain is Victor von Doom, then it probably should be Reed Richards going head-to-head with him. We’ll find out how this all shakes out when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in December 2026.
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